WASHINGTON – George H.W. Bush was heralded Wednesday as "America's last great soldier-statesman" before about 3,000 mourners who came together across party lines at Washington National Cathedral to remember the nation's 41st president.

Ever the diplomat, the elder Bush managed in death to bring together the nation's four living ex-presidents, as well as President Donald Trump, the Republican he and his son George W. Bush refused to support two years ago. The gathering was at times awkward as Trump and his 2016 opponent, Hillary Clinton, ignored each other.

The most touching moment came when the younger Bush, delivering the last of four eulogies, choked up recalling "a great and noble man, and the best father a son or daughter could have." As the late president's three other sons and daughter looked on tearfully, the audience burst into applause for the only time during the ceremony.

As an intergenerational smattering of Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives listened intently, one speaker after another recalled qualities arguably in short supply today: Integrity. Kindness. Dignity. Humor. Empathy. Loyalty. Generosity. Truth.

“When the history books are written, they will say that George H.W. Bush was a great president of the United States, a diplomat of unmatched skill, a commander in chief of formidable accomplishment and a gentleman who executed the duties of his office with dignity and honor,” his son said.

“He showed me what it means to be a president who serves with integrity, leads with courage and acts with love in his heart for the citizens of our country.”

Bush biographer Jon Meacham told mourners, "George Herbert Walker Bush was America’s last great soldier-statesman, a 20th-century founding father. He governed with virtues that most closely resemble those of Washington and of Adams, of T.R. and of FDR, of Truman and of Eisenhower, of men who believed in causes larger than themselves."

Meacham spoke about the courage Bush showed in World War II when, as a 20-year-old naval aviator, he parachuted from a burning plane over the Pacific Ocean. He alone lived to tell the tale; the rest of his crew perished.

“The rest of his life was a perennial effort to prove himself worthy of his salvation on that distant morning,” Meacham said. "To him, his life was no longer his own. There were always more missions to undertake, more lives to touch and more love to give."

Those missions continued well into his senior years, the younger Bush recalled, including racing his speedboat, Fidelity, off the Maine coast at age 85 and parachuting out of a plane at 90.

Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney recalled the integrity with which Bush led the nation through the fall of the Soviet Union and Berlin Wall and the Gulf War, when he assembled a coalition of 29 disparate nations against Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.

“Let me tell you that when George Bush was president of the United States of America, every single head of government in the world knew they were dealing with a gentleman, a genuine leader, one who was distinguished, resolute and brave," Mulroney said.

Former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyoming, known for his sense of humor, recalled Bush's love of family and friends, as well as his humility.

"Those who travel the high road of humility in Washington, D.C., are not bothered by heavy traffic," Simpson deadpanned.

Several speakers singled out Bush's belief in volunteerism and his phrase "a thousand points of light," which he turned into a nonprofit group, the Points of Light Foundation. They noted his signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The younger Bush said his father "strongly believed that it was important to give back to the community and country in which one lived."

"He recognized that serving others enriched the giver's soul," Bush said. "To us, his was the brightest of a thousand points of light."

For all the emotion, virtually every speaker touched on Bush's good humor – even if, as Simpson said, he could never remember a punch line.

Meacham triggered laughter in the crowd by repeating former "Saturday Night Live" comedian Dana Carvey’s secret to impersonating Bush – a mixture of "Mr. Rogers trying to be John Wayne."

He recounted Bush's relationship with his wife of 73 years, Barbara Bush, who died this year. To her husband, she was simply "Bar,” or “the silver fox,” or, at times, “the enforcer.”

Thecasket of former President George H.W. Bush is carried by a military honor guard at the Washington National Cathedral.(Photo: Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)

Bush's granddaughters Jenna Bush Hager, Lauren Bush Lauren and Ashley Walker Bush delivered readings – Hager running her hand across his flag-draped coffin as she walked back to her seat.

The atmosphere in the cavernous cathedral was of a somber reunion, where Washington's movers and shakers from a bygone era joined current officeholders.

Trump and first lady Melania Trump were among the last to arrive, joining Barack and Michelle Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter in the front pew. Behind them sat an array of former vice presidents and second ladies.

Outside the cathedral, a crowd of several dozen gathered along the sidewalk across the street.

Karine Harja of Virginia cradled her sleeping young daughter in one arm and held an American flag in the other.

"He was the first president I remember," said Harja, whose husband is in the Air Force. "I was a child during the Gulf War, and I remember my parents covering my eyes when the news was on.

"It didn't feel right to be so close and not be here," she said.

Harja said Bush's death is a good opportunity for the country to "come together to celebrate a person, not a party."

Some wore T-shirts or hats to honor the former president, but some went above and beyond. Brooklyn-based artist Lucien Bourdeau brought a portrait he'd made of Bush to give to the family.

"It was very important for me to do because 41 was a good president. I loved his policy, especially his foreign policy. He was a good guy."

Dan Riola, 40, drove down with his wife this morning from New Jersey. "We came as the sun was just coming up," he said.

"It's something you can say you were a part of and saw democracy in action."

Before the service, across town, a departure ceremony was held at the United States Capitol, where the 41st president had been lying in state since Monday evening. A military band played "Nearer My God to Thee" as Bush's casket was placed in a hearse. George W. Bush and wife Laura looked on, hands over their hearts, before getting into the motorcade themselves for the trip to the cathedral.

The service was the centerpiece of several days of events celebrating Bush’s life and more than three decades of public service, beginning after his service in World War II and continuing after a career in the oil business. He served as a congressman, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, chairman of the Republican National Committee and director of the Central Intelligence Agency before his two terms as Ronald Reagan's vice president from 1981 to 1989.

Former President George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush watch as the flag-draped casket of former President George H.W. Bush is carried by a joint services military honor guard to a State Funeral at the National Cathedral, in Washington, DC, on Dec. 5, 2018.(Photo: Pool photo by Alex Brandon)

He then became the first sitting vice president to be elected president since Martin Van Buren in 1837.

After the service, the casket was being flown to Houston, where Bush will lie in repose at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church. A funeral service will be held at the church Thursday. He then will be taken by train to the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas.

Bush will be laid to rest in a family plot with his wife, Barbara, who died in April, and daughter Pauline Robinson Bush, who died from leukemia at 3 years old in 1953.

Former President George H.W. Bush, pushed by his son and former president George W. Bush, exits the funeral for his wife Barbara Bush at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

Former President George H. W. Bush looks at the casket with his daughter Dorothy "Doro" Bush Koch as they wait for the mourners during the visitation of former first lady Barbara Bush at St. Martin's Episcopal Church on April 20, 2018, in Houston. Mark Burns, Pool Photo

Former President George H.W. Bush acknowledges the crowd at his presidential library on Nov. 11, 2014 before his son former President George W. Bush discusses his new book "41: A Portrait of My Father" in College Station, Texas. Bob Daemmrich, pool photo

Former president George H.W. Bush waves as he arrives at NRG Stadium before the NCAA Final Four tournament college basketball semifinal game between Villanova and Oklahoma in Houston on April 2, 2016. David J. Phillip, AP

Former president George H.W. Bush talks with Houston Texans owner Bob McNair before the first half of an AFC Wild Card NFL game between the Houston Texans and the Oakland Raiders on Jan. 7, 2017, in Houston. Eric Christian Smith, AP

Former president George Bush grimaces as he rubs his knee while he and former first lady Barbara Bush leave the field after she threw the ceremonial first pitch before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers at Fenway Park in Boston on Aug. 10, 2005. Elise Amendola, AP

President Obama presents former president George H.W. Bush with the 2010 Medal of Freedom in the East Room of the White House Feb. 15, 2011, in Washington. Obama presented the medal to 12 pioneers in sports, labor, politics and arts. Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

Former president George H.W. Bush watches the pregame warmup of the Houston Texans before their game against the Oakland Raiders in the AFC Wild Card game at NRG Stadium on Jan. 7, 2017, in Houston. Bob Levey, Getty Images

Former president George H.W. Bush receives a kiss from his wife, Barbara, as they arrive for the premiere of an HBO documentary on his life June 12 near the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. Charles Krupa, AP

Former president George H.W. Bush watches as his son, former president George W. Bush, throws the ceremonial first pitch of Game 4 of the World Series baseball game between the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants on Oct. 31, 2010, in Arlington, Texas. H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY

Former president George H.W. Bush rides tandem with U.S. Army Sgt. Michael Elliott of the Golden Knights parachute team as he celebrates his 85th birthday on June 12, 2009, in Kennebunkport, Maine. Robert F. Bukaty, AP

Former presidents George H.W. Bush, left, and his son, George W. Bush, watch the warm-ups before an NFL football game between the Houston Texans and San Francisco 49ers on Oct. 25, 2009, in Houston. Pat Sullivan, AP

George Bush and President Bill Clinton gaze skyward as they watch the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team arrive during the dedication of the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas, on Nov. 6, 1997. Susan Walsh, AP

Bush gets some guidance from his wife, Barbara, as they clean a vacant lot along Germantown Avenue during the President's Summit on America's Future on April 27, 1997, in Philadelphia. Robert Deutsch, USA TODAY

Former secretary of State James Baker, left, and George H.W. Bush talk during the opening of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy Annual Conference on Nov. 13, 1995, at Rice University in Houston. Pat Sullivan, AP

President Bush holds the badge of slain New York City patrolman Eddie Byrne during a speech at Attorney General Dick Thornburgh's anti-crime summit on March 5, 1991, in Washington. Marcy Nighswander, AP

President Bush speaks at the White House on Dec. 14, 1990 in Washington, D.C. Bush said he had offered 15 dates for Secretary of State James A. Baker III to visit Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein on or prior to January 12, three days before a United Nations deadline for Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait. Barry Thumma, AP

A 1950 photograph shows Barbara Bush, left, her husband, George H.W. Bush, and their son, George W. Bush, Dorothy Walker Bush and her husband, Prescott S. Bush, at the Odessa airport in Texas. The Bush family album

George H.W. Bush in his Yale University baseball uniform in New Haven, Conn. Bush was the first baseman on the Yale team that lost to California in the first College World Series in Kalamazoo, Mich. in 1947. AP

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President Donald Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, former President Barack Obama, former First Lady Michelle Obama, former President Bill Clinton, former First Lady Hillary Clinton, and former President Jimmy Carter sit before the funeral service for former US President George H. W. Bush at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC on Dec. 5, 2018. Jack Gruber, USA TODAY

This Saturday, April 21, 2018, photo provided by the Office of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush, shows Bush, front, and past presidents and first ladies Laura Bush, from left, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama and current first lady Melania Trump, in a group photo at the funeral service for former first lady Barbara Bush, in Houston. Paul Morse, Office of George H.W. Bush, via AP

In this handout photo taken on April 25, 2013, and released by George W. Bush Presidential Center, former U.S. Presidents from left, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush pose with President Barack Obama for a group photo at the George W. Bush Library in Dallas, Texas. PAUL MORSE, AFP/Getty Images

This April 27, 1994 photo shows President Bill Clinton, left, and First Lady Hillary Clinton, being joined by four former presidents and their wives during former president Richard Nixon's funeral in Yorba Linda, Calif. LUKE FRAZZA, AFP/Getty Images

Former Presidents Bill Clinton, left, and George W. Bush, laugh while participating in the Presidential Leadership Scholars Program Launch, Monday, Sept. 8, 2014, at The Newseum in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin, AP

Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, left, George H.W. Bush, and Gerald Ford, right, laugh as President Clinton speaks during a photo session in front of a replica of the White House at the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 6, 1997, prior to the library dedication ceremonies. SUSAN WALSH, Associated Press

In this Jan. 7, 2009 photo, President George W. Bush, center, poses with President-elect Barack Obama, second left, and former presidents, George H.W. Bush, left, Bill Clinton, second right, and Jimmy Carter, right, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. J. Scott Applewhite, AP

President Clinton, right, and former Presidents Gerald Ford and George Bush, left, pose for a portrait at the conclusion of their round of golf at the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Pro-Am, Feb. 15, 1995, at Indian Wells Country Club in Indian Wells, Calif. MARK J. TERRILL, AP

President Barack Obama, left, stands with his wife Michelle Obama, second from right, and former presidents Jimmy Carter, second from left, and Bill Clinton, right, during the ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom August 28, 2013 in Washington. Mark Wilson, Getty Images

Former Presidents and First Ladies Bush, Carter, Ford and Clinton join President and Mrs. Bush and Vice President and Mrs. Cheney at the funeral for President Ronald Reagan at National Cathedral, June 11, 2004. H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY

President Barack Obama, center, walks to the Oval Office alongside former Presidents Bill Clinton, right, and George W. Bush, after speaking about relief efforts following the earthquake in Haiti, during a statement in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, January 16, 2010. SAUL LOEB, AFP/Getty Images